Urban sports furniture

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of the present invention relates to an urban sports furniture ( 1 ) comprising a main structure ( 2 ), a media display panel ( 3 ), a single base ( 4 ), wherein the main structure ( 2 ) comprises a sports equipment for gymnastics, exercises and stretching, or any other type of urban leisure equipment. The media display panel ( 3 ) has at least two faces and the base ( 4 ) is common, single and easy to level. The urban sports furniture ( 1 ) is intended for installation in public areas with exploitation of publicity displayed on the faces of the media display panel ( 3 ).

The present invention relates to urban sports furniture comprising various embodiments of gymnastic equipment for exercises and stretching, manufactured in a modular manner, including a media display panel with a single base which is easy-to-level and a platform delimiting its area. The sports furniture is intended for installation in public areas with the exploitation of publicity exposed on the faces of its media display panel.

BACKGROUND

At present, there are various pieces of sports equipment installed in public areas, such as squares, beaches and parks. The vast majority thereof is installed in a fixed and definitive manner at the places, and for each type of exercise there is a separate piece of equipment. In this way, there have to be various pieces of equipment installed separately from each other in a single place, so that a user can exercise various groups of muscles.

Patent of invention PI0800318-1, entitled “Aparelho de Ginástica Móvel e Portátil com Barra Fixa e Barras Parallelas Conjugadas” (Movable and Portable Gym Apparatus with Conjugated Fixed Bar and Parallel Bars), relates to a piece of sports equipment that conjugates a fixed bar with a pair of parallel bars on a single gymnastic apparatus. This apparatus is dismountable, movable, portable, light and easy to install, being composed of tubes and/or metalons. Due to these characteristics, it can be easily transported and rapidly assembled. It has its fixed bar adjustable in height and does not damage the floor, since it does not need to be fixed thereon.

International patent application WO2011/007026, entitled “Exercise Bench for Spaces for Public Use”, likewise relates to a piece of sports equipment with an exercise bench designed specially to be placed at public use spaces. It is further intended to provide an element for practicing exercises that can be integrated, as a decorative element, with the space for public use, such as parks and gardens, in which it is installed. The bench comprises a number of vertical, horizontal and transversal rods, besides two support plates, gripping bars, and cylindrical bars. The most outstanding characteristic is the fact that it can be understood as a new interpretation of the known Rietveld chair on a larger scale, as a monument or even as an urban sculpture.

The urban sports furniture proposed herein differs from PI0800318-1 and WO2011/007026, especially in that it is manufactured in a modular manner with a single base that is easy to transport and install, and includes a media display panel conjugated to the pieces of sports equipment. This panel has the objective of displaying publicity media to passers-by and drivers on highways and streets, near which the piece of furniture is installed, obviously besides exposing them to the users of the equipment.

Additionally, the urban sports furniture provided allows, in various embodiments, the simultaneous use of the equipment for up to five users, whereas PI0800318-1 and WO2011/007026 comprise, at most, two users at the same time. Further, the exercise and/or stretching apparatuses that compose the piece of urban sports furniture are conjugated into a single piece. The absence of movable or adjustable parts brings the advantage of longer durability, that is, resistance to vandalism and ease of maintenance, which results in reduction of expenditures with the equipment.

BRIEF SUMMARY

More and more urban centers need leisure areas for the population. And in these leisure areas the existence of means for the inhabitants to practice exercise to achieve well-being is fundamental. Starting from this need, the present invention presents, in the various embodiments described, a piece of sports equipment that provides various types of physical exercises and/or stretching, conjugated to a media display panel. The piece of sports equipment and the media display panel are arranged on a single base, which is easy to level, transport and install, thereby creating a delimited, safe and specific space for its users. Such equipment will be called urban sports furniture from now on.

The development of the various embodiments comprises a main structure of the equipment, wherein the media display panel is installed perpendicularly. Both the main structure of the equipment and the media display panel are fixed by means of screws, rivets, weld or any other means of mechanical union to the structural elements that form the single base of the equipment.

The urban sports furniture comprises, in at least one embodiment, the use by up to five users simultaneously, providing them with the following options of utilization:

-   -   a) three types of grip pairs for bar exercise for the muscle         group of the back;     -   b) a pair of grips for parallel-bar exercise for the muscle         group of the arms and breast;     -   c) the back rest or set of parallel bars for support during the         stretching and squatting exercises for the muscle group of the         legs;     -   d) a pair of grips for triceps exercises for the muscle group of         one's arms, relying on a front support for the feet during the         performance of this exercise.

The media display panel that comprises the urban sports furniture presents a rectangular structure with its sides of longer length in the vertical position. It is fixed by means of arms with a vertical column of the sports equipment and also on structural elements that compose the equipment base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the urban sports furniture;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main structure of the urban sports furniture containing the various types of exercise pieces of equipment jointed into a single piece;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the main structure of the urban sports furniture;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the urban sports furniture;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the media display panel;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the base of the urban sports furniture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

As can be seen in the embodiment described in FIG. 1, the urban sports furniture 1 comprises a main structure 2, which contains all the pieces of equipment for exercises and/or stretching, a media display panel 3 and a base 4, on which both the main structure 2 and the media display panel 3 are fixed by means of screws, rivets, welds or any other form of mechanical union. The urban sports furniture 1, manufactured in at least one embodiment from stainless steel, for example, AISI 304, to resist exposure to weather conditions, has its finish polished, so as to reflect the sunshine, significantly decreasing the absorption of heat and, as a result, without its temperature rising, which would be harmful to the user.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in its finished form and ready to be positioned at the place of use, for example, a beach or public leisure area. The transportation and positioning of the urban sports furniture 1 are carried out, for example, with the aid of a truck provided with a crane or winch.

FIG. 2 shows the main structure 2 of the urban sports furniture 1 in perspective view. One can observe three pairs of grips for bar exercises 5 a-c for the muscle group of the back; a pair of grips for parallel-bar exercises 6 for the muscle group of the arms and breast; a back rest or set of parallel bars 7 for support while stretching and squatting for the muscle group of the legs; and a pair of grips for the muscle group of the arms relying on the front support 9 for the feet while performing this exercise. Further in FIG. 2, one can see the main structure 2 of the urban sports furniture 1 is composed by four vertical columns 10, two main horizontal upper cross-bars 11 and two main horizontal lower cross-bars 12. There are also two pairs of supports for the feet 13, in order to held the user in the beginning and the end of the performance of the exercises on the grips for parallel-bar exercise 6 and on the grips for bar exercise 5 a-b. The furniture 1 may be carried out in a rectangular tubular structure that is easy to manufacture and assemble with great resistance to bad weather conditions and vandalism. However, nothing prevents the use of profiles with other circular cross-sections.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the main structure 2 of the urban sports furniture 1. The grips for parallel-bar exercise 6 and the grips for triceps exercise 8 are made from tubular elements due to ergonomic. The other bar exercise grips 5 a-c have grooves for improving the friction between the user's hands and the grip while he is performing the exercise.

The diameters of the parallel-bar exercise grips 6, of the triceps-exercise grips 8 and of the bar-exercise grips 5 a-c are determined so as to concentrate the user's force on the muscle group aimed at by the exercise, instead of concentrating force on the user's hands, which may happen if the grips have diameters that are smaller than those specified.

The grips of the parallel-bar exercise 6 and of bar exercise 5 a-c should be at a height from the base that enables the user to extend one's arms with up to 10% more than the average height of a standard user, thus enabling a broad use of the equipment by the population.

FIG. 4 shows a right side view of the urban sports furniture 1. One can better view the media display panel 3, which is installed perpendicularly to the main structure 2 of the equipment, so as to give more visibility to the information provided thereon, which may be drawings or pictures informing how one should perform stretching, or the publicity of services and/or products, or any other type of information. The middle point of the panel 3 should be at a height from the ground that facilitates the view thereof by pedestrians and drives from the driveways or streets near which the equipment will be installed. The media display panel 3 may be fixed, for instance, on one of the vertical columns 10 and one of the side wings 18 of the base 4, through fixation arms 14.

The distance between the vertical columns 10 should be such that the grips for parallel-bar exercise 5 b and the grips for triceps exercise 6, fixed on their central axles will have a distance between axles suitable for a user of average height.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the media display panel 3, the purpose of which is to facilitate the identification of the furniture 1 on the part of the public. The media display panel 3 has, for instance, rectangular structure with at least two faces, which may be illuminated from the inside for installation of publicity. The media chosen may be a static poster or picture, or a movable one, for instance, one or various posters in sequence, which move between driving rollers positioned at the upper and lower ends of the display. Fluorescent lamps and/or led stripes will be installed inside this panel with external feed through conventional energy network and/or through solar energy panels to be installed on the upper part of the urban sports furniture 1. Further on this panel 3 one may embed TV flat screens with an integrated sound system, so as to provide communication through video and sound with the user. One may further install a monitor with touch screen for supplying touristic information or about the exercises to be performed.

FIG. 6 shows the single base 4, which is common to all the components of the urban sports furniture 1, and, with cross-bars 15 perpendicular to it, creates a system similar to snow racket, distributing the weight of the furniture 1 over the area where it rests. In this way, in case the equipment is installed on the beach, there will be no need for concrete foundation for leveling it. The weight is distributed over the sand and maintains the furniture 1 at the installation level, which prevents significant movement thereof. The base 4 of the equipment has an area suitable for each type of equipment installed and serves essentially as a delimited space for users, which is safe, specific and separated from the surroundings. Along the whole area of the base 4, fixed on the perpendicular cross-bars 15, there is the furniture 1 floor, which may be constituted by strips 18 of an appropriate material, forming 90° with the perpendicular cross-bars 15, or by any other type of material that is suitable for the needs of the furniture 1. The strips 18 may be strips of wood or another material that is resistant to bad weather conditions and inexpensive, as for example, injected recycled plastic. It is important that the material of the strips 18 should impart good strength to the furniture, as well as prevent accidents with the users, for instance, with too smooth and slippery surfaces.

On the main lower horizontal cross-bars 12, one fixes two side wings 16 and two central wings 17 a-c, which form the base 4 of the equipment. These wings 16, 17 a-c may also be dismountable, thus facilitating the transportation and assembling of the urban sports furniture 1.

One should observe that the urban sports furniture 1 may also be embodied with other pieces of sports equipment at the place of the main structure 2, for instance, by including a table for abdominal exercises or one for supine exercises. The main structure 2 may further be configured as a bicycle rack, with the corresponding bicycle securing devices at the place of gym equipment. The structure 2 may further be configured as a rack for keeping surf boards, windsurf boards, kite-surf boards and body-boards, etc. The modular manufacture of the urban sports furniture enables various types of sports to be performed in the same region, for example, an exercise structure 2 as described above for physical exercises and stretching, and a rack for keeping boards, for instance, assembled on the same beach.

The urban sports furniture 1 has always, as constituent elements, a single base 4, which facilitates the leveling, enabling one to install the equipment at places without previous preparation, such as beaches, lawns, unleveled ground areas, a main structure 2, which may assume various forms of sports equipment, being described above an embodiment, and a media display panel 3.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 

That which is claimed:
 1. An urban sports furniture (1) comprising: a main structure (2) comprising pieces of equipment for sports use; a media display panel (3); and a base (4).
 2. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the furniture is manufactured in a modular manner.
 3. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of equipment for sports use are selected from the group consisting of exercise and stretching exercise equipment, bicycle racks, and racks for keeping surf boards.
 4. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the furniture is manufactured from stainless steel.
 5. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the furniture is conceived on a rectangular tubular structure.
 6. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein a media display panel (3) is installed perpendicularly to the main structure (2).
 7. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 6, wherein the media display panel (3) has a rectangular structure, the middle point of which is at a height from the ground enabling view by users of the driveways near which the urban sports equipment (1) is installed.
 8. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 7, wherein the media display panel (3) has at least two faces.
 9. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 8, wherein the at least two faces of the media display panel (3) are illuminated from the inside.
 10. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 8, wherein the media display panel (3) has one or more built-in TV screens with at least one of integrated sound system and interactive computer monitors.
 11. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claims 6, wherein the media display panel (3) has electric feed.
 12. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the single base (4) comprises cross-bars (15) that are perpendicular to the sports furniture (1).
 13. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 12, wherein strips (18) of the base (4) are formed by a material resistant to bad weather conditions and to the user's weight.
 14. An urban sports furniture (1) according to claim 13, wherein the strips (18) are made from at least one of wood and plastic. 